Storm (Sequel to Wild Horses)
by AllyMcGee
Summary: It has been a year since the Sidorov incident and the team is still struggling to get back to normal. But someone wants to stop that from happening. Will the fractured team be able to pull themselves together to fight a threat greater than any they have faced before?
1. Chapter 1

Hello all,

Due to a large volume of requests I have decided to go ahead and start on the sequel to Wild Horses. It is going to be a fast paced, wild ride and no one will go unscathed. Wumpage for the entire team, so hang on to your seats

Enjoy!

Deeks sat at the small, crowded table in the bar listening to Eric drunkenly stumble through a long winded story about his newest video game. The team had gone out for drinks after a long week of work and Deeks was trying his best to relax, but he was having a hard time doing so. He wasn't sure why, but there was a heavy feeling in the pit of his stomach, leaving him feeling a little on edge and no amount of alcohol was making it go away.

"You okay man?" Sam asked with a slap on the back.

"Fine," Deeks said quietly.

It had been nearly a year since the Isaak Sidorov incident first began and everyone had returned to work. Though the team longed for things to return to normal Deeks knew that would never happen. Sidorov had done too much damage for things to go back to the way they were. Sam still walked with a slight limp, though he had been cleared for active duty. Michelle came to work for NCIS so that she could be closer to Sam. Kensi still couldn't make a fully closed fist with her left hand and the thick, marbled scar on the back of her hand was a constant reminder of what had happened. Hetty had been reluctant to let her team back out in the field for fear of losing them all over again. When the team is out in the field she is parked in the ops center watching their every move. Eric took to drinking a little more than he should. It was something that the team didn't talk about, but as he ordered another beer Deeks knew it wouldn't be long before they would have to say something. Nell started to distance herself from the team and started looking at them more like co-workers and less like family. She once told Kensi, "It's easier to lose someone you work with if they are just a faceless number in your mind." It was a hard pill to swallow for everyone, but they adapted… they always adapt.

Tonight was a rare night. Everyone met up at the bar and for a brief moment in time it was like they were themselves once again. Like Sidorov had never happened. Deeks knew that things would go back to normal at the end of the night, so he better enjoy it while he can. There was a secret that he had been sitting on for the past two weeks and he was dying to tell someone. He leaned in close to the table and motioned for the guys to do the same.

"What's up?" Sam slurred slightly. The stench of whiskey hung heavy on his breath.

Deeks popped his head up when he heard Kensi's snorting laugh. She was standing on the other side of the bar playing darts with Nell, Michelle and Hetty. She obviously found something hilarious, because she was laughing so hard that Nell had to hold her upright. Deeks chuckled to himself, loving the sound of her laughter and wishing that he could hear it more.

"I wanted to show you guys something," he said as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small green velvet box and placed it in the middle of the table.

Callen quirked an eyebrow at him as he picked the box up and scrutinized it with his bloodshot eyes, "Is this what I think it is?"

"Tell me what you think," Deeks said, keeping an eye on Kensi to make sure she didn't see what they were up to.

Callen opened the box to reveal a beautiful one karat emerald engagement ring set in platinum and surrounded by light blue-green baguette clusters. "Wow," Callen said with a smile. "Did you pick this out yourself?"

"Do you think she will like it?" Deeks questioned worriedly.

Callen handed the box over to Sam who let out a low whistle, "this is a nice ring. Kensi is going to love it."

Eric leaned over Sam shoulder to get a look, "When are you going to pop the question?"

Deeks shrugged his shoulders as he took the box and returned it to the safety of his pocket, "I don't know. When the time is right I guess."

Callen faked a tear, "they grow up so fast."

Deeks gave him a playful punch in the shoulder and laughed. It had been no secret that Kensi and Deeks were in a relationship. In fact, people had started taking bets on when they were going to move in together. Callen won the pool when they decided to cohabitate two months after returning from the Alps. Hetty approved of the relationship, just as long as it did not affect their work. It had been some of the happiest months of Deeks life. She was his world and he would do anything just to see her smile. He loved her, not with her heart, but with his soul and he wanted to be more than her boyfriend. Now all he had to do was get up the nerve to actually pop the question.

"To Deeks and Kensi," Callen said as he raised his glass.

"To Deeks and Kensi," the rest of the team said in unison as they clinked their glasses together.

Maybe that sinking feeling was just nerves, Deeks thought to himself as he chugged down the remainder of his beer. That had to be it… he was just getting worked up for nothing. He slammed his empty glass down on the table and motioned for the waitress to bring him another. As he waited for his next beer to arrive he got an overwhelming feeling that someone was watching him. It was such a strong feeling that it gave him goosebumps. Slowly he turned in his chair and looked out the window. Much to his surprise there was no one there. The waitress startled him when she placed the full glass of beer on the table and he jumped, bumping the table and nearly knocking everyone's drinks over.

"Damn it," he cursed. "I'm sorry. I was just distracted."

"It's okay," she said in a thick Russian accent.

Deeks flinched and nearly knocked his beer over again. The waitress smiled at him, but it didn't seem like a friendly smile… it seemed malevolent and hateful. As the rest of the team stared on the heavy filling in Deeks stomach grew and he retched. He slapped his hand over his mouth and made a mad dash to the door, collapsing on the side walk and emptying the contents of his stomach.

"Marty," Kensi said as she knelt down beside him. "What's wrong? Are you okay?"

He was imagining things. It was a side effect from his time spent with Sidorov. He saw a monster in every stranger's face. He heard the Devil in every new voice. It was terrifying at times, but he had learned to cope… for the most part. Alcohol has lowered his ability to differentiate between reality and his imagination. "I'm fine," he lied. "Just had a few too many."

"You sure?" Kensi asked as she rubbed soft circles on his lower back.

Deeks nodded his head, refusing to look her in the eye.

"Okay," she grunted as she pulled him to his feet. "Let's get you home."


	2. Chapter 2

Deeks was lying in the queen sized bed that he now shared with Kensi in nothing but his boxers. He was staring blankly at the ceiling trying his best to get the image of the waitress out of his head. There was just something about her that set off alarm bells, but then again, there wasn't much these days that didn't do that to him.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Kensi asked as she emerged from the bathroom wearing nothing but a tee-shirt and a pair of panties. "You have been really quiet."

Deeks sighed and rolled over in the bed so that he was facing Kensi, "I'm fine. Just a little tired." He didn't want to worry her for no reason.

Kensi crawled into bed next to him and wrapped her arms around his waist, "you would tell me if something was wrong wouldn't you?"

Deeks rested his forehead against hers, "yes. I would tell you."

Kensi smiled and nestled herself further into his arms, "good, because we are a team now and I would hate to have to kick your ass for keeping secrets from me."

Deeks chuckled softly and kissed the top of her head, "I love you Kens."

She smiled devilishly as she pushed him onto his back and straddled his waist, pinning his arms down over his head, "I love you too Marty."

Kensi always had a way of making him forget about the bad in his life. When he was lost in at sea in a storm of fear and hurt, she was his lighthouse on the shore. She was always there to catch him when he fell… and he fell often. He was an emotional mess and he hoped that one day he would truly become the man she deserved. He lifted his head and kissed her gently on the lips. She released his wrists and he wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her tightly against his chest.

The sudden blare of Deeks phone ringing brought their plans of romance to a screeching halt. "Damn it," he huffed when he recognized the ring tone as Eric's. "If he is calling me to talk about that damn game again I am going to kill him."

"Just let it go to voicemail," Kensi urged.

Deeks reached over and grabbed his phone from the nightstand, "you know I can't do that. What if he is calling us in for a case?"

Kensi snorted a laugh, "the whole team, including Hetty, is drunk. I don't see that happening."

Deeks propped himself up on his elbow and frowned when he saw that it was a face to face video call. He looked down at his bare chest and sighed before clicking the accept button, "This better be good Eric I was in b…" His sentence was cut short when he saw Eric's bloody, beaten face on the screen. "Eric?"

"Deeks," Eric slurred. "We have a problem man."

"Call Callen," Deeks whispered to Kensi. She rolled out of bed and rushed to the dresser where she had left her cell. She dialed Callen's number and nervously began to pace as she waited for him to answer.

"Don't say anything Eric," Nell's shaky voice came from off screen.

"Nell?" That heavy feeling in the pit of Deeks stomach was beginning to bear down on his chest, making it hard to breathe. "Someone tell me what in the hell is going on."

Hey Kens," Callen's voice came over the line. "What's up?"

"We have an emergency. Get over here now," Kensi barked into the phone before hanging up.

Eric shook his head and emitted a small sob, "I'm sorry Deeks. I'm so sorry."

Deeks was already out of bed, pulling his clothes on with one hand. He froze, "Sorry for what Eric?"

"Sidorov." Eric sniffled.

Kensi snatched the phone from Deeks stunned hands. "What about Sidorov?" She questioned.

"It's not over," he cried.

A deep throaty laugh came from behind the camera and the view suddenly zoomed out, revealing the whole picture. Kensi stared in wide eyed horror at the sight of Eric and Nell. Her friends had been tied down to chairs and horribly beaten. Eric's hands were resting on the arms of the chair and they were barely recognizable as hands. Nell's face was bruised and swollen to the point that she could not open her eyes.

"Oh God," Kensi cried.

Deeks still hadn't moved from where Kensi had taken the phone from him. His eyes were glazed over and she could see the wheels in his head turning as he tried to process what Eric had just said.

"Give the phone back to your boyfriend," the mystery voice said in a thick Russian accent that sounded so much like Sidorov's that it send a shiver down her spine.

"No," Kensi said with a shaking voice. "I'm not going to let you hurt him."

A silver 9mm with an ivory handle came into the video and it was pointed directly at Eric's head, "Give him the phone or I kill your friend."

Kensi's hands began to shake and tears flowed down her face, "please don't do this. Just leave us alone. Please?"

The man squeezed the trigger and Kensi screamed, dropping the phone to the floor so that she could cover her ears. No… this couldn't be happening. Not again. Not to Eric and Nell. Her knees buckled beneath her and she collapsed to the ground. Every breath that she pulled in was an effort. It was like someone had her chest in a vice. Through her tear blurred vision she looked to Deeks, only to find him huddled between the bed and the nightstand with his head between his knees. As she fought the urge to curl up in a ball and sob, one thought went through her mind…my team can't survive this again.


	3. Chapter 3

Hello All,

Any guesses yet on who has Nell and Eric? See if you can figure it out.

Enjoy!

Callen skidded to a stop in Kensi and Deeks drive and left the car running as he rushed inside. He found the door locked and used his key to let himself in. Once inside he pulled his gun and began creeping through the house. "Kensi," he called out when he didn't find either of his teammates. "Kensi where are you?"

There was no answer and Callen got a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. He quickly cleared the living room, the kitchen and bathroom before heading down the hallway where Kensi and Deeks room was located. Their light was on, but there was no noise to be heard. The door was slightly ajar and Callen quietly crept up to it. He froze when he heard Kensi softly crying inside the room. He swallowed hard before pushing the door open slowly and stepping inside their room.

He did a quick sweep of the room noting the utter destruction. Furniture was overturned, glass was smashed, there were holes in the plaster, the television was lying on the ground in pieces and window was shattered. "Kensi," he called out when he noticed the blood drops on the floor.

"I'm here," she said softly. He found her sitting on the other side of the bed on the floor next to the broken window. Her hair was a mess and her eyes were swollen and red from crying.

Callen knelt down in front of her and checked her over for injuries. She didn't appear to be injured, but she was definitely in shock, "Kens what happened? Where is Deeks?"

Kensi buried her face in her hands and sobbed, "We can't go through this again. We just can't."

"Hey," Callen said as he laid a comforting hand on her shoulder, "just calm down and tell me what happened. Did Deeks do this?" He motioned to the damage done to the room.

Kensi sniffled and nodded her head.

Callen closed his eyes and forced himself to take a deep breath before he asked his next question, "did he hurt you?"

"What?" Kensi balked. "No. He would never hurt me."

"Okay," Callen said with a sigh of relief. "Just tell me what happened."

"Sidorov," she sniffled.

"Sidorov?"

"That's what Eric said right before he… he…"

Callen's heart hammered in his chest, "He what?"

"Before he was shot."

Callen reeled back on his heels, "shot? Eric was shot?"

Kensi numbly wiped the tears from her cheeks with the back of her hand and as she relayed the story to Callen of what happened it felt like an out of body experience…like someone else's words were coming out of her mouth. Callen listened with quiet intensity as she recounted the sight of Eric and Nell tied down to the chairs and how Eric apologized right before saying that the Sidorov thing wasn't over. His stomach soured when she told him what Eric's hands and Nell's face looked like. He clenched his fists when Kensi described the gun and the sound of a shot being fired. "If I would have just handed him the phone," she finished tearfully.

"It's not your fault," he said, giving her shoulders a gentle squeeze. "But Kensi I need you to tell me what happened with Deeks. Where is he? Did he try to go after Eric and Nell?"

Her bottom lip trembled as she began to speak. "I don't know. He zoned out there for a moment… like he used to do in the hospital after he was rescued. Then it was like someone flipped a switch. He was so angry. I… I have never seen him like that. He just started screaming and throwing things. It's like it wasn't Marty… not my Marty at least. Then, just as quickly as it started it stopped. He stood there for a moment and I thought it was over. Then, he grabbed his gun from the mess on the floor and handed it to me, giving me a kiss on the cheek and telling me to not leave until you got here. He then grabbed his cell phone off the floor and left." Kensi sucked in a ragged breath, "Callen I don't know what happened. Eric…Nell…Marty…I…I just don't know how this happened."

Callen ran a shaky hand over his face, "Okay. Get dressed, were going into the Mission."

Kensi nodded and Callen helped her off the floor. She picked up a pair of jeans from the overturned dresser and slipped them on. Her mind was racing and her heart was keeping pace. Her hands were shaking so bad that she couldn't even tie her shoes. Callen bent down and quickly tied them for her before ushering out the door and into his still running car.

As Callen pulled out of the driveway he called Hetty and explained the situation to her. Kensi had never heard such foul language come out of the petite woman's mouth before. Hetty told them to head into the Mission right away and that she would get someone working on locating Eric, Nell and Deeks cell phones. Callen disconnected the call with Hetty and then immediately called Michelle.

"Callen I was just about to call you. Have you seen Sam?" Michelle asked him when she picked up.

Callen let his head drop against the headrest with a thud. He could hear the worry in her voice and knew something wasn't right. "Did he get any video messages?" Callen finally asked.

"Not that I know of," she said. "Why? What is wrong?"

"When was the last time that you saw Sam?"

"About twenty minutes ago. He was down in the basement and I went down to tell him good night, but he was gone. Callen I'm worried. There was blood on the doorknob."

"Deeks was there," Kensi said sadly. "When he punched the wall he spilt his knuckles open and was bleeding."

As Callen's mind whirled the pieces began to fall into place, "Son of a bitch," he cursed. "Do either of them have the know-how to track a cell phone?"

"Deeks knows how," Kensi said. "Eric… Eric showed him how a few months back." She gasped when things clicked into place for her as well, "You don't think they went after Eric and Nell by themselves do you?"

"What in the hell are you talking about Callen?" Michelle demanded.

"Of course they did!" Callen slammed his fists into the steering wheel. "Nell and Eric were abducted tonight and they are in pretty bad shape. Deeks snapped when the man holding the camera shot Eric."

"Oh my God," Michelle gasped. "Eric was shot?"

"Possibly," Kensi added. "We didn't actually see it happen. We just heard the shot."

"Who would do that and how does it involve Sam?"

Kensi couldn't bring herself to say the name so Callen spoke up, "Sidorov."

"He's dead. How can that be?"

"I don't know, but it's what Eric said right before he was shot. He said the Sidorov thing isn't over with."

"I'm on my way to the mission," Michelle said.

"We are too."

Callen disconnected the call and tried dialing Deeks number. Kensi had been trying since Deeks stormed out, but it kept going to voicemail. This time, however, Deeks picked up, "We need an ambulance," Deeks shouted. "Now."

"She's bleeding out!" Sam shouted in the background.

Kensi pulled out her cell phone and dialed 911, "Where are you?"

"The warehouse at the corner of Bendat and College. Tell them to hur…" His sentence was cut short by the sound of gunfire.

"Marty!" Kensi shouted.

The phone clattered to the ground and she felt her heart stop in her chest. More gun fire filtered through the line and then everything was silent.

"Deeks!" Callen shouted. "Deeks pick up the damn phone!"

Kensi relayed the information that she had to the 911 operator and then disconnected the call. The car was eerily silent as they waited for any noise coming from the other end of the line. Tears welled in Kensi's eyes as the silence stretched on for what felt like an eternity. Callen had a white knuckle grip on the steering wheel as he zipped through the empty streets of L.A. at breakneck speeds. The sound of sirens filtered through the speakers of the car phone. Soon, footsteps could be heard followed by the shouts of paramedics and police.

"Holy Jesus. What happened here?"

"Call it in… four gunshot victims."

"Call in Lifeflight."

"The blonde is gone. Move on to the next victim."

As the words sunk into her brain Kensi's world shattered around her.


End file.
